Lost In Another Time
by Deadly Poppy
Summary: “Did you ever, before Azkaban I mean, did you ever, I mean…was there a ever a girl in your life?” Sirius smiled sadly. “There was. Once.” Harry could sense that Sirius didn’t want to talk about it, but he really wanted to know. “What happened?”
1. In Which A Question Is Asked

"**Sirius?" Harry asked suddenly one evening at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.**

"**Yes?" he said.**

"**Did you ever, before Azkaban I mean, did you ever, I mean…was there a ever a girl in your life?"**

**Sirius smiled sadly. "There was. Once."**

**Harry could sense that Sirius didn't want to talk about it, but he really wanted to know. "What happened?"**

**Sirius looked into Harry's eyes, and the sadness from being locked up in Azkaban for twelve years, and being utterly useless stuck in the childhood home he hates, was nothing. Absolutely nothing. She had obviously been very important to him.**

"**Her names was Alexandra," he said, looking away. He looked very distant, as if lost in another time.**

**He smiled at Harry and said, "Goodnight then," before walking away down the hall.**

**That was strange.**


	2. The One With The Rude Redhead

"We're going to Hogwarts!" Sirius announced happily. For the ninth time since they left platform 9 ¾.

"Sirius!" his best friend James cried. "I know!"

"Sorry," Sirius said, not sounding sorry at all. "I'm just excited."

"I know, I am too, but-" James was cut off by a loud crash and a girl falling through the doorway to their compartment. She had long, curly, frizzy black hair, and brilliant emerald green eyes, and was only about four foot three.

"I am so sorry!" a boy behind her said. "I didn't mean too-"

She cut him off with a wave of her hand. "It's nothing," she said, picking herself up and dusting her robes off. "Honestly, I fall over all the time. You just sped up the process."

Sirius and James laughed, and the other two seemed to notice them for the first time.

"Oh, hello," the girl said happily. "I'm Alexandra."

She turned to the boy. "And you are?"

"Remus," he muttered, his face still red.

"Hello Alexandra and Remus," Sirius said. "I'm Sirius Black." he stood up and took a large bow, causing the girl to giggle.

"I'm James," James replied, grinning.

"Can I sit here?" the girl asked, gesturing to an empty seat.

"Go ahead," both boys answered at the same time. She sat, then noticed that Remus was still standing, looking lost.

"Are you just going to sit there or are you going to sit down?" she asked.

He blushed, then sat down next to her.

"So, what house do you think you'll be in?" James asked, not looking at anyone is particular.

"I suppose I'll be in Slytherin," Sirius said sadly. "The rest of my family is."

"That doesn't mean anything!" Alexandra announced. "It's what's in you that counts!"

"Thank you, fortune cookie," Sirius said. Alexandra stuck her tongue out at them.

"I hope I'm in Gryffindor," James announced proudly.

"Me too," Remus piped up.

"Aha!" Alexandra cried. "He's not a mute!"

"Nope," Remus said. "I just don't open my mouth unless absolutely necessary."

James nodded, a serious expression on his face. "Ah, yes, but we'll change that quickly."

Everyone laughed. "Well, as long as the sorting hat doesn't tell me to just go back to my muggle family, I'll be perfectly happy," Alexandra announced.

"Ah, muggle born," James said, a cocky grin on his face. "Think you can out-magic us at school do you?"

"Yes," she said matter-of-factly. Then she grinned.

"Watch it James," Sirius said. "She might give you a run for your money."

James laughed. "So, you have muggle parents, right?"

Alexa looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure," she answered. "But my foster parents are muggles."

Everyone was silent for a moment, before James asked, "So, what exactly is a 'rubber ducky' for?"

Everyone laughed, and Alexandra grinned. "They strangle your enemies," she said matter-of-factly.

Remus looked a little scared, but Sirius and James just laughed, albeit a little uneasily.

"I'm joking," Alexa cried. They all looked relieved. "They float in a bathtub and serve absolutely no purpose."

"So why do people have them?" Remus asked, looking very puzzled.

"Because…" Alexa trailed off. "Hello, I'm Alexandra, but you can call me Alexa," she said, smiling at them.

The three boys exchanged glances. "What?" Remus asked, confused.

She laughed. "Well, when I don't know the answer to a question, I restart the conversation."

"Alright then," James said. "My name's James, and these are Remus and Sirius. So, you're name is Alexa?" he asked, feigning curiosity. She started laughing uncontrollably at his serious expression.

Within moments, they were all laughing. A girl with green eyes and fiery red hair opened the door to the compartment. "Excuse me," she said, sounding almost disgusted. "But you are being very rude."

"Oh I'm sorry, was I going into other people's compartments and telling them off?" Alexa asked, confused. "Oh, no, wait, that was you!"

They all started laughing again, but James seemed a little distracted. He was looking into her eyes. "You're pretty," he said, nonchalantly.

She made a strange noise and rolled her eyes before slamming the door shut.

"James!" Sirius yelled, shaking his friend by the shoulders. "What was that!?"

James shrugged. "A moment of weakness," he replied, but he didn't sound like he particularly regretted it.

*******************

**Okay, so already like 50 people have read this, and I have no reviews. Zero. Zip. Something wrong with these numbers? I think so. Come on, I love writing, and it really honestly hurts when people don't like my story enough to bother to tell me what's good or bad about it. Tell me you like it! Tell me you hate it! Tell me how I should change it! Come on! CLICK THE FREAKING BUTTON!**


	3. The One With The Important Question

It had been a couple of days since Harry asked Sirius about Alexandra. He hadn't brought it up again. He could tell it was hard for his godfather to talk about.

So Harry was never really sure what possessed him to walk into Sirius's room that night, stand in the doorway, and ask, "What was she like?"

Sirius smiled halfheartedly. He didn't have to ask who Harry was talking about. "She was amazing. She was beautiful, smart, talented. She had long, frizzy black hair and green eyes. She was really short." He chuckled, that same distant look in his eyes.

"She always knew when someone was upset, even if their best friend couldn't even tell. And she knew what to say. She didn't put up with self-pity though. She was always telling people to get back on their feet."

He sighed. "And she could cast spells like no other. She would even give Hermione a good run for her money. She couldn't stand your mother when they first met. They were always competing to be top of the class, and it drove Lily insane, because Alexa never even studied."

Harry laughed. "Did they become friends?"

Sirius nodded. "The best of friends. You couldn't separate them for all the money in the world."

"What happened to her?"

"She's gone," he said simply.

"Did she die?" Harry asked.

"She's gone," he repeated, and Harry knew he wasn't going to talk about it any more.


	4. The One With The View Of The Ground

Ever since that day, Remus, Sirius, James, Alexa, and another boy they'd met, Peter, were inseparable.

They were walking down the hall that one particular day in second year, when they passed Lily Evans and Alice Barton.

"Hello Evans," James said, smirking.

"Potter," she replied coldly.

"Hey Lily-pie!" Alexa cried with mock enthusiasm. "Wassup!?"

The Marauders laughed, and Lily and Alice glared at the five of them.

"What do you want, Albright?" Lily asked Alexa warily.

"Oh, nothing," she said innocently. "I was just wondering what you got on the Transfiguration quiz."

Lily turned bright red and stalked off with Alice.

"Why did she get upset about that?" Remus asked curiously.

"Because I did better than her," Alexa said easily, shrugging. "And she hates it because I never even study."

Sirius looked at her. Once again, he noticed how beautiful she was. He had a habit of noticing that every so often. How her hair frizzed around her face so that she was constantly pushing it out of the way. How her eyes could somehow force the truth out of you when you tried to lie to her. How she made you want to bend down so that you could be eye to eye with her, just so that you could really appreciate her beauty.

"Wow," Sirius said. "Who knew someone so tiny could have so much evil packed into them."

She hit him in the arm, but grinned. "There's nothing wrong with being short," she defended. "I have a better view of the ground."

He laughed. "Well, you must see it better than anyone I, huh Lexi?"

She mock glared at him. He was the only one she ever allowed to call her Lexi.

She walked off in a fake huff, knowing full well the Marauders would follow her.


	5. The One With The Photograph

In all the years to come, Harry would swear up and down that he wasn't snooping. He wasn't trying to pry or find anything that was none of his business.

But of course he really was.

What other excuse would he have for asking Sirius if he could look through his old Hogwarts photo albums? What other reason would he be looking through Sirius's box of knick-knacks?

None. So Harry snooped. He wanted to find out whatever he could about not only the girl who was the love of his godfather's life, but also his mother's best friend.

Harry opened the first photo album. It had tons and tons of pictures of his Sirius with James, Remus, Peter, and Lily. None of them had the girl Sirius had described.

The next one was filled with pictures of other people in the corridors of Hogwarts. Random people. He recognized some of them, but others were strangers. Still none of them had the girl.

Harry didn't see any more photo albums, and was about to give up when another one fell from the closet and hit him in the head. He opened it, revealing a picture of Sirius and a short, dark haired girl on the first page. They were sitting on a bench at Hogwarts, talking. It looked like they didn't even know the picture was being taken.

The rest of the book was all pictures of her. Occasionally James, Lily, Remus, or Peter would appear, but it was mainly Alexa, or Sirius with Alexa.

He looked at one in particular. It appeared as if they were having some sort of argument.

Sirius looked hopeless as he said something to Alexa. She looked furious, and she yelled something. He yelled back at her, and she threw a pillow at him. Suddenly, she yelled something, then walked quickly up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down to her level, before kissing him.

"Lovely picture, isn't it?" Sirius's voice said from the doorway.


	6. The One With The Memories

Alexa loved nights at Hogwarts.

She didn't have a foster sister asking her to walk her to the bathroom so she could scare the monsters away.

She didn't have a foster mother asking her to get up early and make everyone breakfast.

She didn't have foster brothers running up and down the halls, refusing to put on their pajamas.

She just had quiet, peaceful conversation with the other Gryffindor girls, and a nice peaceful common room to go into when Lily Evans got on her last nerve.

On one particular night in her second year at Hogwarts, Alexa went down to the common room late at night to see that someone was already there.

"Hello Sirius," she said, grinning. She hated to admit it, but when she looked at Sirius, she couldn't help but notice how good looking he was.

"Hi Lexi," he said, not taking his gaze off the fireplace. "What are you doing awake?"

"Marveling at the nights I spend at Hogwarts," she answered, sitting down next to him and leaning her head on his shoulder.

He felt his entire body tense up, but she didn't notice. "What about you?" she asked.

"Couldn't sleep," he said. "So how is nighttime here so different than at home?"

She sighed, then told him the tales of her past.

_When Alexa was four, she left the orphanage to go to her first foster home._

_She was so excited when Ms. Elwen told her that a family wanted her. She was so happy that a mommy and daddy were going to take her in._

_The first week was fine. The first month even. But after that, they started fighting. Her new mommy would yell at her new daddy and say that he had to put Alexa to bed. He would storm out of the house._

_He would come back late at night. One day, they got in a huge fight, and he hit her._

_The next day, Alexa couldn't understand why her new mommy took her back to the orphanage._

"Oh," Sirius said. Alexa nodded. "It's not so bad really. I mean, it's better than being stuck with that, right?"

_It was two years later when Alexa found another home. She was six. A middle aged lady and her husband took her in. After her incident, she could never call them Mom and Dad._

_It never felt like home. And after she'd been there for a year, her foster parents decided to put their giant house to use. They brought in many other foster kids. They came and went, except for Alexa and a small girl named Luanne. Luanne was two when she came, and was now four._

_Alexa was always close to Luanne. The two of them were alike. They didn't know their birthparents._

"_Awexa?" a soft voice calls from outside her room._

"_Yeah Lulu?" she says, rolling off her bed and opening the door._

"_Will you come to the bathroom with me?" she asked, looking down the long, dark hallway._

"_Why?" she asked curiously._

"_I'm scared of the monsters," she said. "But you're so brave, they monsters won't try and hurt me if I'm with you."_

"_But you're brave too Lulu," Alexa said. The little girl shook her head sadly. "No I'm not," she said. "So will you come with me?"_

_Alexa smiled and took Luanne's hand. Together they faced those monsters. And not one of them was crazy enough to mess with Luanne and Alexa._

"Wow," Sirius said. "You're such a great sister."

Alexa grinned. "Well, I can't say I'm the greatest to the rest of them. We get along I suppose, it's just that I never really feel close to them."

"How many others are there?" he asked curiously.

"Um, let's see…the twins, Jacob and Leslie, that's two, then me and Luanne, four, and also Zeke and Julia, so six. Oh, and Bebe, so altogether there are seven of us."

"Wow," he said. "I have one brother, and I can't even stand him!"

"Well, it does get hard some times," she said sleepily.

"You sound tired," he said. "You should go to sleep now."

But she didn't hear him, because she'd already fallen asleep on his shoulder.

Not that he was complaining.


	7. The One With The Tragedy

"Why were you fighting?" Harry asked his godfather. Now that he had been caught, he might as well give it a shot.

Sirius smiled sadly. All he said was, "That's another story for another time."

"But I want to know!" Harry argued. "It had to do with when you and my parents were at school, and I love hearing those stories!"

"Not now," he said. "Later."

Harry left Sirius's room in search for Remus Lupin. Maybe he would answer Harry's questions.

"Ahh, Alexa," Remus said when Harry asked him. "Amazing girl. Smart, beautiful, funny, it was such a tragedy what happened."

"What happened?" Harry asked eagerly.

Remus looked surprised. "Sirius didn't tell you?" Harry shook his head. "Well it's not my place to tell you," Remus said decisively.

Harry hung his head. Would no one tell him more about this mysterious girl from Sirius's past?

* * *

**Short chapter, I know! But I promise there'll be another one within an hour, okay? Reviews=Love!**


	8. The One With The Friendship

Alexa hated Lily Evans.

And Lily made it quite clear that the feeling was mutual.

"Alexa?" Lily asked uncomfortably one afternoon in third year.

"First names, _Lily_?" Alexa asked sarcastically.

Lily looked annoyed but twisted her face into an odd smile. "I need to ask you something," she said.

"Alright," Alexa said. "Let's have it then."

"Will you…oh never mind!" Lily was about to run off when Alexa grabbed her arm.

"I'll help you with Transfiguration," she said softly.

"You will?" Lily asked hopefully.

"Yeah," she said, smiling.

And so that was the beginning of Lily and Alexa's friendship. A simple act of kindness.

"Why do you hang out with the 'Marauders'?" Lily asked Alexa as they walked back to the common room from the library.

Alexa shrugged. "They're my friends," she said simple. "And I know you see them as arrogant, which they are, but they're actually really nice once you get to know them."

Lily nodded thoughtfully.

"And they're funny as hell!" Alexa added, grinning.

"Do you want to eat breakfast with Alice and I tomorrow?" Lily asked.

Alexa's face lit up. "Sure!" she said. "Like I said, the marauders are great, but they are boys, and I am a little tired of hearing them talk about who they want to go out with while I'm trying to eat!"

Lily laughed.

Somehow they just clicked. From that day forward Lily and Alexa were inseparable, except for when Alexa was with the Marauders.

Some days she would go to the Quidditch field and help Sirius and James practice, and other days she would study with Lily. Occasionally, if Lily was in a good mood and James didn't ask her out, the six of them (or seven if Alice came too) would walk around the grounds, and even seem like friends to anyone watching.


	9. The One With The Gossip

"You guys," James said one day. "I think I love her."

"Lily?" Remus asked, not looking up from his book.

"Uh-huh," James said. "She's so perfect. She's beautiful, and smart, and that temper!"

Sirius laughed, remembering Lily's temper full well. "How do you know you're in love?" he asked James. "You're only fourteen."

"I just…know," James replied. "When I see her, it makes me happier, and I just want to be near her, even if she hates me. She makes me want to change just for her."

Sirius's thoughts instantly flashed to Alexa. Did he love her? That was a scary thought. He didn't think you were allowed to be in love with one of your best friends. There had to be some law against it.

But he was afraid that he might be falling in love with her.

Oh bugger.

He jumped off his bed, and without another word he ran into the common room. The first girl he spotted was a fourth year girl named Rita Skeeter.

"Would you go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?" he asked her.

She grinned. "Of course," she said happily.

He smiled at her, but something in his gut told him he'd made a bad move.

You couldn't just ask someone out because you might be falling in love with someone else.

Could you?

*********

"Guess who just asked me out!" Rita cried as soon as she was in the girl's dormitory.

"Who?" Alexa asked, barely paying attention. Rita was known to be a huge gossip.

"Sirius Black!" she said happily. "He's so gorgeous!"

Alexa's head snapped up. "Sirius Black?" she asked, although of course she knew she'd heard Rita properly.

"Uh-huh," Rita said dreamily.

"Oh," Alexa said shakily. She hadn't been aware that Sirius like Rita. Of course, he didn't have to tell her or anything. She just thought since they were best friends…

No, James and Remus are Sirius's best friends. He doesn't have to tell you things. Get over yourself, Alexa told herself.

"That's great Rita," she said halfheartedly, then went outside to sit under a tree and think.


	10. The One With The Tear

Sirius's date with Rita Skeeter was less than desirable, to say the least.

"She was awful!" Sirius complained to Remus and James that night. "We went to the Three Broomsticks, and she sat there the whole time, telling me random gossip about all the other students who came in!"

Remus raised his eyebrows. "What did you expect?" he asked. "You asked out Rita Skeeter."

Sirius groaned. "I know," he said. "What was I thinking?"

"I think you were thinking that you don't want to fall for Alexa," Remus said.

Sirius sat up quickly. "That's absurd!" he sputtered. "That's ridiculous! It's crazy, and insane, and-"

"True?" James suggested, cutting Sirius off.

"Maybe a little," Sirius allowed. Then he groaned again and laid back down on the bad.

"You know she likes you too, right?" James asked.

"She doesn't," Sirius argued.

"She does," Remus said.

"She doesn't and I don't want to ruin our friendship," Sirius said, standing up. Then, without another word, he walked out into the common room to find Alexa and Lily sitting there.

"Why do you even like him?" Lily asked.

"I don't know," Alexa said. "I just do. He's so great."

Jealousy flared inside of Sirius.

"But I can't believe even he took _her_ out," Lily said, saying _her_ as if it were a horrible swear word.

"I know!" Alexa groaned. "And if that's the kind of girls he likes, I'll never have a chance!"

Now Sirius felt rage. Who wouldn't like Alexa!? She was beautiful, and smart, and funny, and kind.

"But I really like him," she said softly. "And I don't know if I can just get over him."

"Like who?" Sirius asked, unable to contain himself any longer. Alexa looked startled. Apparently they hadn't noticed him before.

"N-no one," she stuttered, blushing fiercely.

"You can tell me," Sirius said. "I'll take care of him for you. Any guy who hurt you I'll hex into the next century!"

Lily seemed to find this incredibly funny. She doubled over laughing and Alexa shot her a dirty look.

"It's no one," she said, not meeting Sirius's eyes.

"We're best friends," he said. "You can tell me."

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but instead a tear escaped her eye, and she ran up to the girl's dormitory, Lily following close behind her.

What was that all about?


	11. The One With The Lie

**Ok, I have been having THE WORST writers block I've EVER had for this story, and it's killing me. So I've decided that maybe if I force myself to write a chapter some good ideas may come to me. Honestly, I set up the suspense great, but I never really decided on what happened to Alexa! Pretty stupid of me, I know. Any ideas?**

*********

Harry decided to give it a rest for a while. Maybe if he stopped asking about Alexa, Sirius would decide to tell him.

Still, he didn't stop being curious. In fact, in spite of everything else that was going on, it was always there, at the back of his mind. But he didn't ask any more questions.

It appeared to pay off about two days later, when Remus came to talk to him.

"You seem to be very curious about Alexandra Albright," he said casually. Harry nodded.

"I just…in case you were to hear something…" he trailed off, as if he couldn't find the right words. "Look, Sirius…he thinks she died."

Harry nearly chocked on Air. "She didn't?"

Remus shook his head. "She didn't…die…technically. But what happened to her…we can't have Sirius going to look for her."

"What happened?" Harry asked eagerly, thinking he was finally going to find out about the mystery that was Alexa.

But Remus just shook his head. "Another time," he said, and promptly left the room.

Harry wanted to bang his head against the wall.


	12. The One With The Strawberry Taste

**Yay! Everyone do the happy dance, I've decided what happened to Alexa! Hopefully (and I mean seriously cross your fingers hopefully) my writer's block is gone.**

**Okay, here's another chapter:**

*********

Sirius stared at the picture in his hands.

He had spent so many years away from her. It nearly killed him. But it was even worse that he would never see her again. She was gone. She had been killed. And it was all his damn fault.

He supposed he should be thankful. They could very well have sucked out her soul. That would have been unbearable for both of them. He couldn't stand to see her like that. She had such a beautiful soul.

Even after he came back to number 12 Grimmauld Place, he didn't look at the picture. It was too painful. And besides, it had been imprinted on his brain for many years. But looking at it made it so much…more real.

He watched himself say the words he could still hear in his mind to this day. "I don't love her."

Her face became furious. "You pig! So you think it's alright to lead innocent girls on?"

"No! I can't help it! I love _you_!"

"You-you," she struggled for words. Then she flung a pillow at him. He was shocked. Not the reaction he'd been hoping for.

"Well, I love you too!" she screamed furiously, before throwing her arms around his neck and pulling his lips to her.

_They tasted like strawberries_, Sirius thinks to himself. He laughs lightly despite himself.

He wishes, more than anything, that he could go back in time. Back to that moment. They hadn't known the picture was being taken, but every day he thanked James's memory for hiding behind that couch.

He decides that he wouldn't mind living in that photograph. Not knowing what's going to happen. Blissfully ignorant, lost in the magic of that first kiss.

But now she's gone. And she's never coming back.


	13. The One With The Party

Sirius couldn't sleep that night. He wandered down to the common room at about midnight. No one was there.

He sat on one of the couches, staring into the fire. The flames dances around the fireplace, not caring about the outside world. He sighed.

He turned quickly when he heard footsteps. Alexa was standing there, clutching a blanket that she had wrapped around herself. She walked over to the couch, obviously noticing him, but very pointedly looking away. She sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, still without looking at him.

"You like Rite Skeeter," she said, suddenly, after a couple minutes of silence.

Sirius was taken aback. "What? No!"

"Then why did you kiss her?" she replied angrily.

"What are you talking about?"

"She's telling everyone that she kissed you after your date this weekend, then she dumped you because you 'weren't her type!'"

Sirius's eyes widened in shock, and he turned his head to look at Alexa, but she was staring very pointedly at the fire, obviously struggling with holding back tears.

"No!" he said desperately. "She tried to kiss me, and I didn't want to kiss her! I told her she wasn't really my type and she walked off in a huff!"

Alexa nodded. "I believe that," she said, smiling slightly. "As long as you promise you're not lying."

"I swear," he told her.

"Okay then," she whispered, wrapping her blanket tighter around herself.

"I kind of already like someone," he muttered, but she didn't hear him. She was already asleep with her head still on his shoulder.

*********

It didn't occur to Sirius to wonder why Alexa cared so much until the next day.

"Oi!" James called, coming into the common room with Remus before anyone else did.

Sirius woke up, but stopped quickly, realizing that James hadn't succeeded in waking Alexa up.

"Can I help you?" Sirius asked, annoyed.

"No one can help him," Remus laughed. James shot him a look that very clearly said, what's that supposed to mean?

"Anyway," James said, rolling his eyes. "What's this?" he raised his eyebrows suggestively and gestured to Alexa, who was now curled up inside Sirius's arms.

"Nothing," Sirius muttered, truthfully.

"Doesn't look like nothing," James argued.

"Well it is," Sirius snapped. "She seemed kind of upset about me and Rita, and I told her there was nothing to be upset about.

"So now you believe that she likes you?" Remus asked hopefully.

"She doesn't," Sirius told them, for what seemed to him like the millionth time./

"She was upset at the thought of you with Rita!" James cried.

"Rita's a slut," Sirius said.

"Well, yeah, but-" James was cut off my Alexa muttering something incoherent and falling off the couch.

"Ow!" she cried, sitting up and rubbing her head. "Having a party without me?" she asked jokingly, looking around at Sirius, James, and Remus.

"Aw, how did you know?" Sirius asked, grinning. She smiled back at him, last night's dispute apparently gone.

Remus and James shared a look, but wisely decided not to say anything.


	14. The One With The Pudding

**So, um, hi, it's me…I know I haven't updated in a while, but I've had a lot of problems going on and I kinda lost my inspirations to write. But now I'm trying! So, yeah…review, because they're like hugs.**

**By the way, here's a bunny:**

**(\_/)  
(_.._)****  
(")(")**

*********

"Alexandra?" a soft voice asked. "Alexandra, are you alright today?"

Another voice answered, angrily. "She won't listen to you unless you call her Alexa! I've told you that!"

"Right, right. Alexa?"

Alexa opened her eyes. "Yes?" she asked. "Yes, what is it? I'm very, very busy today."

One of the healers rolled her eyes. "We've brought you some pudding. It's chocolate, your favorite."

Alexa nodded. "Yes…my favorite…"

"_Alexa, I've brought you some pudding! It's banana!" Sirius cried, bounding into the common room, where she lay on the couch, coughing and shivering._

"_H-how did y-y-you know?" she asked. "I always say ch-chocolate's my f-f-favorite."_

_He grinned. "I know you too well."_

Alexa stared, eyes wide, at the healers. "You don't know me," she whispered.

"Uh-oh," the second healer said. "Not again!"

"None of you know me!" Alexa screamed, jumping up on her bed. "You don't know me like he did! You don't understand me! He knew me! He was good! He didn't kill anyone!"

"Poor dear," a third healer said, entering the room. "Alexa, I'm sorry to do this…"

Alexa was vaguely aware that she muttered a spell before she suddenly felt sleepy.

So very sleepy…


	15. The One With The Idea

Harry thought he was going to go crazy wondering about Alexa.

"I just wish someone would tell me something," he complained to Hermione one night.

"If only we had a pensieve," she mused. Harry nodded.

"Why is it so important to you?" she asked suddenly.

Harry thought for a moment. "She knew my parents. And she was close to Sirius. And something strange _obviously_ happened to her. Something unusual. I just want to know."

Hermione nodded. "Well, I think I may be able to help," she said.

Harry's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "What? Really? How!?"

Hermione laughed at his expression. "The wizard registry. You can look up any wizard in there, dead or alive."

Harry groaned. Why hadn't he thought of that? "Well, what are we waiting for?" he asked, excited.

Hermione bit her lip. "Well, it won't be easy. Usually you go to the Ministry to look in the registry. And we can't send out owls willy-nilly, or we could be found…"

Harry wondered if he would _ever_ find out about Alexa.


	16. The One With The Flat

"Alexa?" Sirius asked sleepily, walking into the common room. He had been asleep when he'd suddenly felt the need to walk downstairs.

"Yes?" she asked, wiping her eyes quickly and burying herself deeper in her blanket.

Sirius sat next to her. "You don't need to hide your tears from me, you know."

She nodded vaguely.

"And you can tell me what's wrong," he hinted.

She sighed, leaning against him. "My foster father died," she said quietly. "And all of us kids are being moved to different homes. Only, I'm in a bad position, because only my foster parents, and the social worker in charge of me know about me being a witch. And the ministry doesn't want too many muggles to find out. They might be sending me to an orphanage here in the wizarding world."

Sirius turned to look at the beautiful girl next to him. She'd changed in the five years he'd known her. She'd gotten taller, but not much. Her curly black hair had grown long, but she'd recently cut it, so that the curls just sort of flew about everywhere. He thought it was almost criminal that she could be this beautiful.

"I'm sorry," was all he could think to say.

"I'm fifteen!" she cried. "I don't want to go to an orphanage! I don't think I could bear it! I-"

"Stay with me," Sirius blurted out before he could stop himself.

"W-what?" she sputtered, turning to face him. "You live with the Potters."

"I can't stay there forever," he told her, matter-of-factly. "I was thinking about getting a flat. you can stay there with me if you'd like."

She looked thoughtful for a second, before her face spread into a huge grin. "I'd love that!" she exclaimed before hugging him tightly.

Until then, Sirius had decided living on his own would be great. He couldn't think of anything better.

Except for this.


	17. The One With The Deal

In sixth year, Sirius started going out with Lucille Jones. Lucille was the exact opposite of Alexa, in looks and character. She was tall and blonde, with brown eyes. She was quiet and shy and got along with everyone.

Alexa claimed she couldn't stand the girl. Lily knew better.

"You don't hate her," she told Alexa one day. "You hate the fact that she's going out with Sirius."

"She's all wrong for him!" Alexa exclaimed, turning to face her best friend. "She's too quiet and-"

"-and shy, and she doesn't stand up for herself," Lily finished easily, having heard Alexa's rant many times before. "I know, I know. I just think that maybe you should try and get over him. Or at least tell him you like him!"

"I can't, I'll-" Alexa stopped abruptly, a strange smirk on her face. "I'll tell Sirius the day you go out with James Potter."

Lily's face had _I'm-gonna-strangle-you-and-feel-your-remains-to-the-giant-squid _written all over it. "That's totally different!" she cried.

"Too bad! I'm not telling Sirius so there!" she stuck her tongue out at Lily.

"So, the day I go out with Potter, you'll tell him?" Lily asked, a pained expression on her face.

Alexa narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't," she said.

Lily took a deep breath. "Oi, Potter!" she yelled. His head snapped up.

"Yes, Lily-Flower?" he asked, a cheeky grin on his face.

"You wanna…" she clenched her jaw. "Go to Hogsmeade next weekend? With me?"

James grinned. "Yes!" he cried triumphantly. "I knew it! I knew the day would come!"

Lily alternated between glaring at him and glaring at Alexa. James seemed to pick up on this and sat down, staring blankly at me looking a little like a lost puppy.

"There," Lily spat. "Now you have to hold up your end of the bargain."

"That's not fair!" Alexa cried.

"Is too!" Lily argued. "Now, you are going to march over there, and-" she was cut off by Lucille walking into the common room. Sirius stood up and kissed her.

Suddenly, Lucille whispered something into his ear. His face turned bright red, then he looked a little lost before regaining his composure, smiling, and whispering something back.

Unfortunately for her, Alexa heard what he told her.

"Love you, too."

Apparently, so did Lily. "So, Alexa, as I was saying, we should definitely go…um…this way!" she cried frantically, pulling Alexa by the arm in the direction of the door. Alexa kept her feet firmly rooted to the floor.

Alexa was staring at Sirius, who still looked a little lost, and Lucille, who was blushing and walking up to her dorm.

"Go tell him," Lily whispered in Alexa's ear before walking up to Remus and James and whispering something in their ears. The quickly followed her out of the common room.

It took a moment before it registered in Sirius's mind that he was in the common room alone with Alexa. In that time, neither of them noticed James sneak back in and hide behind a couch with Lily's camera.

"I don't love her," Sirius said miserably.

Anger flared inside of Alexa. "You pig! So you think it's all right to lead innocent girls on!?"

"No!" he cried desperately. "I can't help it! I love _you_!"

"You-you," she sputtered, searching for words. Instead, she found a pillow, which she proceeded to fling at him. "Well I love you too!"

And with that, she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his lips to hers.

Suddenly, Alexa pulled away from him. "You have a girlfriend," she said, her voice dead.

"I-I can, she…" Sirius trailed off, knowing there was no response that would properly appease Alexa.

And with that, Sirius was alone in the common room.


	18. The One With The Litte Girl

"Lucy, I don't know if…" Sirius trailed off, unsure of where he was going with that sentence. "I don't think that we…"

She put a finger over his lips. "I get it," she said simply.

"Huh?" he asked, confused. "No, no, I'm trying to tell you that-"

"That you want to break up because you're in love with your best friend?" she finished for him, her eyebrows raised.

And Sirius, unsure of how to respond, went for humor. "I'm not in love with James!" he cried, doing his best to look scandalized.

Lucille laughed. "You idiot," she muttered. "Just do me a favor, okay?"

"What?"

"Don't hurt her. Don't leave her, or make her cry, or ever let her think you don't love her. Because you guys are perfect for each other."

Sirius grinned. "Thanks Lucy. And I really am sorry."

"I know," she replied, hugging him.

"Wait, so does this mean I broke up with you?" Sirius asked, unsure of where the conversation had gotten out of his control.

"Nope," Lucille said, popping the p. "_I_ broke up with _you_."

And with that, she walked away.

*********

"So, Lucille broke up with me today," Sirius said nonchalantly, sitting next to James, Remus, and Lily, who were talking in hushed tones in the Great Hall.

Lily started choking on something she was eating. "Way to go Lucy!" she cried. Remus and James laughed.

"Hilarious," Sirius deadpanned. "Anyway, where's Alexa?"

The smile dropped off Lily's face, and she looked uncomfortable. "She's, uh, not speaking to anyone right now…"

"What?" Sirius asked suddenly worried. "Was she that upset!? I have to go apologize! I-"

"Sirius!" Remus interrupted. "It's not you," he assured his friend. "It's her sister."

"Luanne?" Sirius asked, confused. Lily nodded.

"Luanne was sent back to an orphanage," she told him. "And she's gotten really sick. It's bad, and Alexa's really worried."

"Oh." Without another word, Sirius was running into the Gryffindor common room. Alexa was there, carrying a bag.

"Alexa, what are you doing?" Sirius asked, concerned.

"I have to help Lulu," she replied. "She needs me."

"Well…you can't…I just…I'm coming with you," Sirius finished, surprising himself just as much as he did Alexa.

"Alright then," she said, regaining her composure. "Come along. I've already gotten Dumbledore's permission."

"Wait, Dumbledore's just _letting_ you leave?" Sirius asked her, sure that he heard her wrong.

"That's right. He said family is one of the most precious things we have in life, and loved ones should be put above all else."

*********

Once at the orphanage, Alexa demanded to see Luanne.

"Lulu?" she asked, kneeling next to the tiny eight-year-old. She had frizzy red hair and hazel eyes. Her face was covered in adorable freckles, but she was very pale, and she was coughing a lot.

"A-Alexa?" the tiny girl asked hopefully.

"Shh, yes, I'm here. And I'm not leaving you. I…I'll figure something out."

"Don't you have to go to the special magical school?" she asked.

"Don't you worry about me," she told her. "You just focus on getting better.

"Hey Sirius," Alexa said, turning to him. "I-I know this is a lot to ask, but-"

"Do we have room in the flat for one more?" he asked, finishing her sentence for her. She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Of course, but…uh…how do we get her out of here?"

She looked lost. "Dumbledore will know what to do!" she replied confidently. "Come along, Sirius. Lulu, we'll be back soon, okay?"

The little girl nodded, and Sirius was amazed at how confident she looked in Alexa. Like she would trust her with her life.


	19. The One With The Unexpected Hug

**Honey, I'm Hoo-ooome! Sorry I've been gone so long. I promise I'm NOT cheating on you! Please forgive me!**

**Sorry, schizophrenic moment. Anyway, life's been incredibly insane lately, but I'm back! And hopefully for good! I have some new ideas, plus I've written several new Harry Potter Fan fictions since last time I updated, and one for Fruits Basket, if you like that! Read and Review!**

*********

"Dumbledore is the most amazing, wonderful person in the whole world!" Alexa cried triumphantly as they walked from the orphanage to somewhere they Floo back to Hogwarts.

"Thank you," Dumbledore said calmly.

Luanne coughed again and Alexa looked down at her worriedly. "Do you want a piggyback ride?" she asked, sounding concerned. Luanne grinned and nodded.

Alexa bent down, and Luanne hopped onto her back. Sirius was seeing her in a whole new light. He'd known, of course, that she cared about people, but he'd never realized how maternal she was.

And that's when whole new images started flooding his brain. Alexa in a wedding dress, Alexa holding a child, Alexa with graying hairs.

The feeling came on so fast it made Sirius dizzy. Ten minutes ago he'd loved her, so what name did this emotion have? It was so strong, he realized he couldn't live without her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

"What are we going to do?" Alexa asked Dumbledore, breaking Sirius away from his thoughts. "We have to go to school for a whole another year, what will we-"

Dumbledore cut her off. "I had a feeling about her when I first met her."

Alexa looked confused. "Huh?"

"Luanne, have you ever noticed that things happen to you? Things you can't explain?"

Alexa's eyes widened, and Luanne nodded yes.

"There you have it," Dumbledore said. "I'm sure we can bend a few rules and Luanne can stay with you at school until you graduate."

Alexa threw her arms around him unexpectedly, nearly losing her balance and causing all three of them (Luanne was still on her back) to land on the floor.

When the four of them got back to school, Luanne was taken to Madame Pomfrey, and it took Sirius almost a half hour to convince Alexa she could leave the hospital wing.

Unsure exactly where their relationship stood, Sirius very nearly took Alexa's hand, then decided against it, then thought maybe he would, then though maybe it would be okay to put his arm around her, then thought better of it, until finally Alexa, either sensing his discomfort or imply needing a hand to hold, took his hand in hers as they walked silently back to the common room.


	20. The One With The Folder

"I've done it!" Hermione whispered loudly, bursting into the room.

"Bloody hell!" Ron cried. "I could have been changing."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, Ronald, because last time I checked, it's not at all weird for a guy to watch another guy change."

Ron turned red, but Harry paid him little attention. "You found it?" he asked Hermione, his eyebrows raised. "How?"

Hermione looked smug. "Never mind that, it's all in this folder. Birth record, school records, medical records. It's amazing what the ministry will give you when…oh, never mind."

Harry was dying to know how Hermione had gotten all this information from the ministry, but Alexa was more important.

"Did she die?" he asked.

Hermione dumped the folder onto Ron's bed ("Hey!") and flipped through the papers. "No death record," she said. "But…look at this! She was checked into St. Mungo's twelve years ago!"

"So?" Ron and Harry asked in unison.

"She never checked out."


	21. The One With The Sneezing

It was three in the morning. Sirius's arm was numb.

It had now been weeks since Luanne came to stay at Hogwarts, and in that time Sirius had still seen no signs from Alexa that there relationship was anything more that in had been before.

So why were they in the common room, her asleep in his arms?

That is a very good question, and no one would love to know the answer more than our very own Sirius Black. But while Sirius would have very much liked to know the answer to that particular question, he hadn't the faintest idea.

Sirius looked at his arm. It had been asleep for the past hour and a half, but he didn't have the heart to move it and risk waking her. She looked so peaceful. Like an angel.

"Sirius?" Alexa asked softly.

She was talking her sleep! She was saying HIS NAME in her sleep!

"Sirius, I can feel you staring at me."

Oh. Never mind.

Alexa yawned, lifting her head to look at him. She blinked several times. She was a mess, her black hair sticking out in all directions, her eyes had circles under them, she hadn't been getting enough sleep, and she was pale. Sirius wondered suddenly if she was getting sick.

Alexa must have felt his eyes on her, because she tilted her face towards him.

I'm going to kiss her, Sirius thought. The thought made him nervous. He was going to do it. He was really, truly going to kiss her!

Of course, he chickened out, feeling her forehead instead.

"You have a fever!" he blurted out, his hand on her forehead with a slight push, forcing their lips as far away as possible. Was it just him or did Alexa look a little disappointed?

"I do not," she said stubbornly. Sirius raised his eyebrows. "I feel fine," she added with less energy. "I'm just tired."

*********

"Aaaaah-Aaaaah-Aaaaah-"

"Bless you," Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

"Aaaaah-Chooooo!"

James blinked. "I thought you couldn't sneeze after someone said bless you. It's supposed to be a law or something.

"Whad are you doig here?" Alexa asked rudely, not bothering to open her eyes. "Madame Pomfrey said I needed peace and quiet. You are neither."

"We came to make sure you're alright," Lily answered for him. Confused, Alexa opened one eye to see James and Lily holding hands.

"Oh by god!" she shrieked. "Hell'd frozen ober!"

"QUIET OUT THERE!" Madame Pomfrey cried shrilly.

"You're a little late, dear," Remus said, throwing a friendly arm over her shoulder. Alexa responded by sneezing on him, and he promptly removed his arm. "Hell froze over some weeks ago and has taken up business as a ski resort quite happily."

"Quite happily," James concurred, turning to kiss Lily, who narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

"Are you getting sick, too?" she asked.

"Of course not!" James told her proudly. "I never get sick!" And he kissed her again, as if to prove his point.

*********

"Jabes Podder, I hade you," Lily said, her nose stuffed up.

"No, dear, you lub be, wemember?"

James and Lily had taken up residence in the two hospital beds about five down from Alexa, so as to give her privacy but also be able to talk to her easily.

"I thing id workd," Alexa said, her eyes closed and her blanket pulled up to her nose.

"What worked?" Sirius inquired, surprised. He had thought she was asleep.

"No, no, work-zz," she corrected him, annoyed.

"Sorry," he said, laughing at her crabbiness. "What work_s_?"

"Jabes abd Lily. They'b alwayd pout like a old mawwied couple."

Sirius laughed. "Alexa, I can't understand a word you're saying. Okay, James and Lily?"

Alexa nodded.

"Always?" Nod.

"Pot?" Alexa shook her head no.

"Got?" No.

"Thought?"

"Pought, pought!" Alexa cried indignantly.

"Fought?" Nod, nod.

"Like and old…married couple?" Nod, nod. "Well, why didn't you just say so?" Alexa laughed.

"Still," Sirius continued. "I suppose I can see the appeal."

"Abbeal to whad?" Alexa asked, and Sirius could tell she was getting tired.

"Dating," he said. "You can do this any time you like."

And then he kissed her.

Sirius wasn't sure if she fell asleep before or after he kissed her, nor was he sure which one he was hoping for.

*********

"BLACK!"

Sirius shot forward in his bed.

"Yed?" he said to Alexa, in the hospital bed next to him. Looking at the clock, he was aware that it had been fourteen hours since Alexa had gone to sleep, and six hours since he himself had been forced to come to Madame Pomfrey.

"Ib you thing you can jud kizz me and then pall adleep, you hab god anoder thing cobing! Ib you thing thad I…"

Sirius was confused. "Adexa, I waded here por hours apder _you _pell adleep, hoping you would wake up."

"Do!" Sirius assumed that translated as No! "You kizzed be, den you wedt to sleep! Then Michael Jackdon…ooohh. Maybe I wad dreabing dat."

"Dude!" James called from across the room. "You kizzed 'er!"

"Whoo!" Lily cheered half-heartedly, then sneezed. "We dew id waz cobing!"

Peter and Remus applauded tremendously until Madame Pomfrey threatened to kick them out unless they were all quiet.

*********

"Hey! Da gangd all here!" James cheered as Peter and Remus, feverish and sneezing, were finally forced into the hospital wing. Remus chose a corner on the other side of the room, where it was apparently most quiet, and Peter chose the bed only two down from Remus's, so as not to be too alone.

"Do you guy'd dow whad day id iz?" Alexa asked. She had probably had her eyes open for a total of five minutes in the time she'd been in the hospital wing.

U unanimous "No," echoed, and Alexa cleared her throat, which ended up taking four minutes once she'd started.

"Toborrow, we gwaduade."

Factoring in the time it took to translate that to "Tomorrow we graduate," it took all of four seconds for the other five to be up on their feet, telling Madame Pomfrey they felt fine and promising to keep an eye on each other.

"Alegsa?" Sirius asked, realizing she was still in bed. "Alegsa, you hab to ged ub now."

"I thing I'll sday ad Hogwards negsd year," she told him dreamily. "The beds are compy."

"Alexa, you hab to ged ub so we can graduade and moob indo our apardmend pull time, and den I can take you oud, and den we'll ged married."

He said this all matter-of-factly, surprising himself more than Alexa. Alee she said was, "Alwight, helb me ub."

*********

**AN: I'm sorry to say that with each time I update, the end draws nearer and nearer, and now that there have been so very many cha[ters, the end is very near indeed.  
**


	22. The One With The Knock on the Door

"Harry?" Sirius asked through the door. Hermione's eyes widened and she hurried to hide the folder and its contents.

"Just a second!" Harry called frantically. "I'm-I'm-brushing my teeth!"

Hermione and Ron both threw him _are-you-stupid? _looks, but he ignored them.

Sirius opened the door, dropped a folder on the bed, and left without another word.

Exchanging a look with Ron and Hermione, Harry dumped the folder onto his bed.

Inside was a photograph. It was of the Marauders, plus Lily and Alexa, but it was hard to tell what was going on. James was jumping for joy and Lily was screaming happily. Alexa and Remus were sneezing, while Sirius tried to kiss Alexa and Peter just looked thrilled beyond belief.

"Strange," was all Harry said.

"Even stranger," Hermione said, looking at one of the documents she was picking up. "You're never going to believe this."

"What?" Ron and Harry asked in harmony.

"Alexa and Sirius have a daughter."


	23. The One With The Surprise Announcement

"Graduation day!" Lily screamed in the morning.

"You sound bedder," Alexa said grouchily.

"I feel better!" Lily replied. "I guess my cold was a lot shorter than yours. Let's go see if the guys feel any better!"

Alexa mumbled something that may have been, "They'd better not," or possibly, "Are they in bed or not?" or it might have even been, "They're pretty hot," but that last one's not very likely.

"Boys!" Lily called, right outside their door. Without waiting for an answer, she opened the door and let herself in.

"Bloody 'ell, woban!" Sirius cried, "We could hab beed chabging!"

"Yeah!" James agreed. "We could all hab beed daked!"

"Yes," Lily replied sarcastically. "Because all four of you would have been in the room naked, together, and that wouldn't have been weird."

James thought about this for a moment, then shrugged, as if to say, "Don't worry, babe, I'm straight."** (AN: I'm sorry, but I had to write that)**

"Wait," Peter asked slowly. "Are you feeling better as well?"

Lily nodded happily, and Remus, Sirius, James, and Alexa groaned.

"Damb," James muttered. "I neber ged sick!"

Sirius rolled his eyes, and Alexa said, "Yeah, and how's dat workib out for ya?"

*********

"I'm sad to see all our seventh years go," Dumbledore said. Only the Seventh Years were in the Great Hall. All the other students were going home, but they were having a ceremony of sorts, to commemorate their graduation. Another train would come later to take home any students whose parents weren't here.

"But I know they will go out into the world with the same excitement they did when they first came to Hogwarts, as tiny eleven-year-olds, scrambling to keep up."

Alexa looked like she was about to ball like a little baby, Remus was grinning wildly at having been announced top of the class (Fine! He tied with Lily), Sirius was trying to maintain a calm air, but was fairly pleased with himself for making it seven whole years.

"But I do not wish to go on," Dumbledore said, smiling, a twinkle in his eye. "So instead, I will just say, Goodbye, and Good Luck."

There was a loud cheer, and hats were thrown into the air.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter ran up.

"My baby boy!" Mrs. Potter cried, showering James with kisses. "My baby!"

"May, really!" Mr. Potter laughed. "Let the boy breathe! Congratulations, son."

A chubby woman no one recognized was waddling towards them at top speed. "My Petey-Wetey!" the sobbed. "I'm so proud of you!"

Mrs. Pettigrew hugged her son tightly as Peter's face grew increasingly red.

"My parents aren't here, of course," Sirius snorted.

"Me eiber," Alexa agreed. "Hey! Your boice soubs bedder!"

"You're right! Cool."

"Damb!" Remus cried. "He's better, too? I'm gonna be da last one still sick!"

By this time, James had managed to escape his mother.

"Lily!" he cried, grabbing her by the arm. "Cobe on!"

"Where are they going?" Sirius asked, nudging Alexa.

"Huh?" she asked, drowsily. "Oh. Pobably to make oud or someding."

"Or not," Sirius said mischievously, grabbing Alexa's arm and following James and Lily.

"Lily," James said. "I lub you."

"Oh, I love you, too-"

"No, lisden, dis id impordand. I really lub you, and I don wand to led you go. Eber. Lily-"

"James, don't do this, I-"

"Lily, I mean it-"

"James, I mean it, too, don't do this."

"Too lade." James knelt down. "Mawwy me?"

"Get up, you idiot!" Lily laughed, pulling him up by the arm.

"Is thad a no?" James asked, his eyes sad.

"No," Lily said. "That's definitely a yes." And then she poked him in the chest. "But next time, you had better do that properly, not when you're sick. Got it?"

"Nexd dime?" James raised an eyebrow.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Or, whatever." And then she ran inside.

"Come on!" Sirius pulled Alexa after them before their absence was noticed.

When they got back, Mrs. Pettigrew and Mrs. Potter were trying to gather everyone for a picture, and Lily was giggling like mad. James was sneezing, but practically jumping for joy.

"Well, you seem very happy," Mrs. Potter said, smiling at Lily. That woman didn't miss much.

"Well, it's a big day and everything," Lily said, bot sure if she was supposed to say anything. "Graduation and all-"

"We're gedding married!" James announced. "Sorry, I couldn't help it." He looked at Lily. "I couldn't, I really couldn't."

Lily laughed, Peter looked shocked, Remus looked startled, Mr. Potter looked confused, and Mrs. Potter looked petrified.

Slowly, she regained her color. "M-married? Oh my gosh!" And that was it. She was hugging Lily and making wedding plans.

"Sirius?" James asked. "You wand do be by Besd Man?"

"Really?" Sirius asked. "Yeah!"

And that was how the picture was taken. Everyone in various states of happiness and surprise. All the Marauders and the Maraudettes.

The world was good.


	24. The One With The Missing Shoes

"Hello!"

This was how every morning started. Alexa would wake up, make breakfast, and read the newspaper. Then Luanne would wake up and have breakfast. Then Alexa and Luanne would argue about Luanne taking her medicine. Then Sirius would wake up, stare at Alexa for a moment, as though he really couldn't understand how he could be so lucky.

"Hello!" Alexa would say happily, having been up for some time.

"Hello," Sirius would say groggily, having just woke up.

"Hello!" Luanne would say cheerfully, being a little kid and therefore having more energy.

Then Sirius would have breakfast, cold by this time, and then the day would progress from there.

Of course, this wasn't a normal day.

"Where are the shoes!?" Alexa screeched. "WHERE ARE THEY!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Lily sobbed. "I left them somewhere!"

"Okay, okay!" Alexa said firmly, taking charge. "Lu, you changed yet?"

Luanne shook her head.

"Find the shoes. Go, now!" Luanne set off.

"Alright, Lulu's finding the shoes. Now, the dress, put it on," Alexa instructed.

"Don't we do makeup first?" Lily asked worriedly.

"No," Alexa told her matter-of-factly. "You put the dress on to test it for last minute fit, then take it off, do the hair, do the makeup, put to dress back on, then put the shoes on. Got it?"

Lily nodded, staring at Alexa in awe. "Yeah-huh," she said. "I can do that."

Sirius knocked on the door.

"Good you found the-" she stopped short when she saw Sirius.

"Get out!" she shrieked, slamming the door as she pushed him out. "What are you doing here?" she whispered loudly.

"Living?" he suggested, matching her tone. She hit him on the shoulder.

"Get out!" she hissed. "Go over to James and Lily's or something. Go to Diagon Alley. Go to London for all I care, just get out!"

"Alright, alright," Sirius said, realizing resistance was futile. "But just FYI, guys don't freak out like this."

*********

"Remus, I lost my shoes!" James was yelling from the bedroom when Sirius walked in. "And my hair won't lie flat!"

"Your hair never lies flat!" Remus said, waving at Sirius from the living room closet, where he was apparently looking for James's shoes. He shrugged, as if to say, "What're we gonna do?"

"James?" Sirius asked, knocking on the bedroom door.

"Oh good," James said by way of greeting. "You're here. Do you know a hair-flattening spell?"

"Um, no?" Sirius said, afraid of what James's reaction might be.

"Oh," James said, sounding confused. "Well."

"But maybe some hair gel?" Sirius suggested. Remus snorted.

"Sirius, in all the time you've known James, has hair gel ever worked?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right," he admitted. "But maybe it's for the better," he added thoughtfully. "Lily's only ever seen him with crazy hair. If he somehow manages to flatten it, she might not love him anymore."

All the color drained from James's face, and it took ten minutes for Remus to convince James that Sirius was only joking.

*********

"I can't do this," Lily whispered just before Alexa walked down the aisle. "I think I'm gonna-"

*********

"-throw up," James said worriedly to Sirius. "She's gonna walk out, isn't she? I knew it, you-"

*********

"-are going to be fine!" Alexa exclaimed. "I promise. Everything-"

*********

"-is unacceptable!" Sirius told James, annoyed. "You should be happy! This is your-"

*********

"Last chance," Alexa said. "If your really want to leave, fine, but if you love James, I just know this will-"

*********

"-never work!" James hissed. "We'll probably miss our train, and then there will have our-"

*********

"-babies!" Lily cried worriedly. "What if James doesn't want babies? You know I want-"

*********

"-a cat!" James gasped. "What if Lily doesn't like cats? Oh my god-"

*********

"-it's time," Alexa whispered before heading out, knowing Lily would follow.


	25. The One With The Drastic Change

**AN: The date of when Sirius went to Azkaban will probably be wrong, but since I'm lazy I'm just going to change it to serve my own purpose.**

*********

"Did you know about this?" Harry demanded of Lupin as the latter sat in the living room.

"Know about what?" Lupin asked, startled.

"This," Harry said, pointing to the birth certificate. "May Lily Black."

Lupin, now alarmed, grabbed the paper and stared at it. "Impossible!" he sputtered. "The child-she-it-no! No, the child died before it was born!"

"Not according to that," Harry challenged. "Apparently she's a perfectly healthy thirteen-year-old girl living in Ireland with foster parents."

Remus Lupin's eyes grew wider than Harry had ever seen them. "My god," he whispered. "This….well, this changes things."

"It does?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Drastically."


	26. The One With The Freaking Out

**AN: Wow. It's really not long until the end now. Well...IDK...I might add a little more to the story than I have planned. It depends on the reviews I get. (Hint, hint)**

"Alexa!" Lily half-whispered, half-screeched. "Thank god!"

"Why are you whispering?" Alexa asked, matching her volume.

"Oh," Lily said, still whispering. "I mean, uh, I don't know." Back to normal volume.

"I made Sirius come get James, like you said, then left twenty minutes after, as per your instructions. What's up?"

Lily looked nervous. No, beyond nervous. Lily looked like a train-wreck of nerves. "I need your help."

"With what?" Alexa inquired.

"Well, not really help," Lily mumbled. "More like moral support."

"For what?"

"Well, you see-"

"Lily!"

"I'm taking a pregnancy test!" Lily cried suddenly. "I might be pregnant!"

"Well, that is usually why one would take a pregnancy test," Alexa said calmly. "Well, come on then." And with that she grabbed Lily by the arm and pulled her to the bathroom.

"How are you so calm?" Lily asked. At five eight, she had a good five and a half inches on Alexa, but she'd never felt smaller.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" Alexa asked her best friend. "To be married to James, and to have a baby?"

"Well…yes, but not this soon-"

"And weren't you thrilled when James said he wanted a baby too?" Alexa asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Well, yes, but we agreed on a few more years-"

"So there you have it," Alexa announced. "So the timing's a little off. Big whoop."

Lily stared at Alexa as she unwrapped the test.

"Well, here," Alexa said, handing it to Lily. "I'm not peeing on any sticks today. It's all yours." She turned around.

Minute one- Lily: What if it's a no? What if it's a yes!? What if I want it to be a yes? What if James wants it to be a no!? What if-

Minute two- Alexa: Do you think it'll be a boy or a girl?

Minute three- Lily: What if I'm a horrible mother! I could totally ruin the child! I could drop him on his head and he'd never be able to apparate without splinching his toes off! What if I'm a horrible mother and James leaves me and takes the baby and-

Minute four- Alexa: Will you name it after me?

Minute five- Silence. The deadest of silences. There were no sounds in the Potter house. No water was run, no words were spoken, no fingers were tapped. Silence. Until…

"It's ready," Alexa said, quieter than she'd ever been in her life.

"You look at it," Lily replied, equally quiet, as if the test was some big secret they had to hide from a houseful of people.

Alexa tried to look at it, but she couldn't. she brought it to her eyes, then lowered it without seeing anything. Then she tried looking at it with one eye, but couldn't make her eyelid move.

"I can't do it," Alexa said. "I'm nervous too."

So they stood there for thirty minutes. Neither of them could bring themselves to look at it.

"Alexa?" Luanne asked from the doorway. Both girls jumped, having forgotten Luanne was in the living room, reading.

"Lu!" Alexa shouted, much too loudly. "What does this say?" She thrust the test at her.

"P," Luanne announced, as if it were obvious. It probably should have been.

"Does that mean positive or pregnant!?" Lily asked shrilly. Alexa stared at her for a moment. "I don't know!" she replied, equally frantic.

They both searched for the box for five minutes until Luanne said slowly, "Wouldn't 'positive' and 'pregnant' both mean the same thing?"

Alexa and Lily stared at each other for a moment before breaking into huge grins and hugging each other. There was much hugging and giggling from the three girls until Remus, Peter, James, and Sirius came back to find them like that.

"What's going on?" James asked, clearly pleased to see everyone so happy. Sirius look confused but happy, and Peter looked thrilled beyond belief to be amidst so much happiness. Remus Lupin was silent. He saw the test sitting on the back of the toilet.

He looked back and forth between the Lily and Alexa, meeting both their eyes. Alexa gestured toward Lily with her head, and Remus Lupin broke into a wide grin.

"James," Lily said, barely able to compose herself. "James, I have to tell you something."

"Good news, I'm assuming?" he laughed. She nodded wildly. "Well, let's have it then!"

"James," Lily said again. "Well, uh, um…" But suddenly the words were gone. She just squealed with delight and gave him a huge hug.

"I'm just so happy!" she sobbed, and Alexa patted her on the arm. "We know, Sweetie," Alexa said kindly. "But you really have to tell James."

"I'm just so happy!" Lily repeated, but it didn't matter, because James had spotted the test, and it was a good thing Sirius and Remus caught him by both arms, because James Potter fainted.

*********

Later that night, Luanne had begged Remus until he agreed to take her to the park, leaving Alexa and Sirius alone at the apartment.

"They looked so happy when we left," Alexa sighed dreamily.

"Yeah, they did," Sirius agreed. Then he said something neither of them expected. "Maybe we should get married."

"Alright," Alexa said lazily. "What are we doing next week?"

"Nothing, I think," Sirius replied, matching her ease. "Which day?"

"Hmmm." Alexa thought for a moment. "Sunday. It sounds romantic."

"Alright," Sirius said.

"It doesn't leave much time," Alexa said. Anyone listening would have been shocked by the eerie ease of Sirius's proposal and Alexa's wedding plans, but for them, it worked.

"We don't really have much to do," Sirius replied. "Just find a place and invite our friends."

"Well," Alexa argued. "I also have to get a dress. And shoes. And plan food, and we have to buy the rings, and….and…Sirius! I have to go get ready!"

She got up off the couch and was about to shoot out the door about as fast as a bat out of hell, when Sirius grabbed her arm.

"Wait," he said. "I just proposed."

She looked at him as if he were insane. "I know!" she exclaimed. "That's why I have to plan!"

"I just proposed," he repeated. "And I know you have a lot to do and all, but do one thing for me, alright?"

Alexa nodded. "Anything."

"Kiss me first."

And she did.


	27. The One With The Thing in Lily

"You look fabulous!" Lily announced. "It took me more than a month to find the perfect wedding dress, and you found yours in less than a week. Absolutely stunning."

"You look beautiful," Luanne agreed.

Alexa blushed. "I can't believe I'm getting married!" she exclaimed. "I mean, I'm marrying Sirius, James is best man, you're my maid-of-honor, and with a baby on the way! Luanne as my flower girl. Could life be any better?"

There was a stony silence for a moment as Alexa's words sunk in. Lily touched her stomach and looked away.

"Lil," Alexa breathed, realizing her slip. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"I know," Lily said simply. "Everything will be fine, with Sirius as our secret keeper." Lily and Alexa both knew, of course, that Sirius was no longer secret keeper, but it was best not to say it out loud. No one ever did. It was easiest to pretend no one was in any danger.

Lily smiled again, a sincere, if not a bit sad around the edges, smile, and Alexa grinned magnificently. She had nearly everything she wanted.

"Well," she said happily. "Let's get this show on the road!" And with that she took a deep breath and glided toward the aisle. "Whenever my maid-of-honor and flower girl are ready."

*********

"Lily," Alexa said. It was months later, and Lily was quite large by this time. "You know that thing in your stomach?"

Lily snorted. "Very eloquently put, Alexa. Yes, I know that 'thing' in my stomach."

"Well," she shifted uncomfortably. "I think I might have one."

Lily laughed loudly. "It's not a cold, Alexa!"

There was silence, and Lily was hit with the full impact of what Alexa has said. "Wait, what?"

"One of those," Alexa said, poking Lily's stomach. "I think I have one."

Lily stared at her dumbly for a second. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" she asked slowly.

Alexa got up. "Yes! I think I'm pregnant! You know, pregnant, knocked up, bun in the oven, P-R-E-G-N-A-N-T, pregnant!" She sat down again, looking at Lily sheepishly. "Sorry."

"No, no, it's all right," Lily said quickly. "It's just…did you take a test?"

Alexa shook her head. "No, I was afraid too. I mean, we never even talked about having kids. It wasn't something either of us really wanted. I figured we would wait until Luanne started school to even _talk_ about it, much less…well, y'know, _have_ one." At this, Alexa poker her stomach suspiciously, as if wondering if she might be able to wish it away.

"Wait," Lily said. "You don't want kids? But we always used to talk about it!"

"I didn't say I didn't want kids," Alexa corrected. "I said we weren't nearly ready yet. We aren't even close to being close to wanting to have kids!" At this, Alexa burst into tears.

"Oh, sweetie," Lily said soothingly, hugging Alexa. "It'll be alright, I promise."

*********

"Your turn to pee on the stick," Lily said, and Alexa laughed despite herself.

Minute One- Alexa: Will I get fat? Will my feet swell up like watermelons? And I'll start retaining water, too, right? My finger's will swell up like sausages, and it'll hurt, won't it?

Minute two- Lily: You think my fingers look like sausages? Really?

Alexa: No! Of course not! Well, maybe a little.

Minute three- Lily: I can't believe you would say that! Just last week you told me I was glowing!

Alexa: You are glowing, Lils, but you're also fat.

Lily: Well!

Minute four- Alexa: It's gonna hurt isn't it? I betcha it hurts like hell.

Lily: Hey! Watch it! Even if you're negative, I still have to do it!

Minute five- Alexa: N-negative? You mean you think it's negative? Oh my god. What if it's negative? Do I want it to be negative? Do I want it to be positive? Oh my god, I can't do this, Nononononononononono-

Lily: It's ready.

Alexa lunged for the stick, nearly knocking Lily over.

She promptly burst into tears. "I knew it," she sobbed. "I just knew it."

"Oh Lexi," Lily said sympathetically. "I know. I know you're sad. But now maybe you can talk to Sirius about it first."

"You don't understand," Alexa sobbed.

"No, I do," Lily assured her. "I know you're upset, and-"

"I'm not upset," Alexa argued. "It's positive."

*********

"Sirius?" Alexa asked worriedly. "Sirius, did you hear me?"

Sirius nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah I think so. So, that's baby, B-A-B-Y, right?"

Alexa nodded and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Alright then," Sirius said. "I guess we should clear out some room for it….or something. What do babies eat?"

Alexa looked at him suspiciously. "You did hear me, right?"

Sirius nodded. "Of course."

"You're being very calm."

"Yes," Sirius agreed.

"James fainted," Lily pointed out.

Sirius looked at one arm, then the other. Then he twisted his head around to check the label on his shirt. "Why I'll be darned! I'm _not_ James!"

Lily rolled her eyes.

"But are you happy?" Alexa asked. Sirius shook his head, and Alexa looked as though she were about to cry.

"No," Sirius said. "Truth be told I'm scared as hell. Bit happy, but I will be, if you are."

And she was.


	28. The One With The Long Year

**AN: Okay, I just did the math and realized that I made Alexa pregnant for a lot longer than 9 months and Luanne probably isn't old enough to go to Hogwarts yet, but bear with me, okay?**

**Also, this chapter sort of flies by. Sorry about that. The last few chapter (so sad!) will be a lot slower and more detailed, but I just needed to get this one out of the way.**

**Disclaimer: No matter how many times I forget to say it, I DO NOT own Harry Potter, nor have I EVER owned Harry Potter.  
**

*********

**The following year passed in a blur for Alexa. There were the happy times…**

"_It's a baby," Sirius said._

"_Yes, Sirius," Lily laughed, holding the little boy, whom they had named Harry James Potter._

"_Why is it so squishy looking?"_

"_Oh, you're going to make a great godfather," Alexa snorted._

"_I will with you by my side."_

**There were the sad times…**

_There was the sound of shattering glass from the living room._

"_Lily?" Alexa asked worriedly. There was a broken glass on the floor. Lily was on the couch, holding a letter, and little Harry was playing on the floor, oblivious._

"_The Longbottoms," was all Lily said, staring blankly at one of the walls._

_Alexa took the letter. It was from Mad-Eye Moody. The Longbottoms were tortured mercilessly. They were now in St. Mungo's. There was little hope for recovery._

_Lily was shaking when James came into the room. He held her. Obviously thinking Alexa needed the same, Sirius went to Alexa, but she was already out the door, swearing she would find Bellatrix Lestrange._

_Of course, Remus and Sirius caught her in about two minutes, convincing her it wouldn't be good for the baby._

"_Lulu!" Alexa sobbed, and Sirius was suddenly struck by how different she looked than she had when he first met her in his first year at Hogwarts. Her hair was longer, weighing down the out-of-control curls, but also it was the way she was standing. Being motherly suited her. She was sort of squatting down to hug Luanne with her huge stomach before she got on the train to school._

"_Write to me?" Alexa asked, sniffling. Luanne didn't look nearly as sad as Alexa did._

"_Bye kid," Sirius said, hugging Luanne. He'd grown pretty fond of her._

"_Bye!"_

**But nothing could have prepared them for the tragedy that was waiting in the wings…**

It was horrible. Peter disappeared about a week before it happened. No explanation, nothing. Everyone was suspicious, but no one wanted to voice it. It was easiest to pretend nothing was wrong. Maybe if they'd been suspicious, they could have left. They could have moved and gotten a new secret keeper. But it was easier to pretend everything was fine.

Alexa and Sirius were at home, as per usual since Sirius had become paranoid about Alexa giving birth at any moment, even though she wasn't due for another month and a half.

It was Mad-Eye who came to them. It was the only time they'd ever seen the gruff man show any emotion. He wasn't exactly crying, but he was sad. So sad. But it was nothing compared to Sirius.

Alexa wasn't as sad. Of course she was inside, but outwardly she was angry. Bloodthirsty, really. She wanted revenge. She would gladly have killed Voldemort then and there had she had the chance.

She wasn't sure what happened after that. She was screaming and sobbing, and before she knew it, Sirius was gone and Mad-Eye was trying to stop him. Remus was there with Alexa, practically holding her to the couch. It was clear Sirius had told him not to let her leave.

Everything was a blur. Sirius went out to search for Peter. Apparently he caught him. Lily and James were dead. They were hauling Sirius to Azkaban. Peter was gone. Harry was with his relatives. Alexa was alone.

And then she snapped. She apparated out, something she was supposed to do under absolutely no circumstances, but she did it anyway. No one, not even Alexa herself, could ever be sure how she did it, but she got inside Azkaban.

Alexa Alright-Black had broken _into_ Azkaban.


	29. The One With The Breakin

**AN: Okay, get ready. This chapter will blow your mind.**

*********

Of course it didn't take long for her to get caught.

Alexa was half-crazy when they found her. Waddling, hugely pregnant, through the stalls of some of the scariest criminals in the world. Murderers mostly. Not scared at all. She just strut/waddled down the hall, and was promptly caught by two Dementors.

"Well, well, well," Cornelius Fudge said. "She was trying to free one of the criminals?"

"Yes sir," one of the few non-dementors guards replied. "Just waddling away. I think she's mad, sir."

"Mad, indeed. Well, let the poor thing out of her misery. Give her to the dementors."

"The dementors, sir?" asked the guard worriedly. "But she's with child. Can we do that?"

"I am the Minister of Magic!" Fudge hissed. "I can do whatever I like! She tried to help a mass murderer escape. Besides," he added as an afterthought. It's not like anyone will ever know."

"Yes, sir."

And with that, Cornelius Fudge walked away

*********

"Sirius Black."

It just happened to be that same guard that brought Sirius his dinner that night. Instead of paying the guard any attention, he sat in the corner, staring at the wall.

"I'm married, y'know," he told the guard lazily, just as he was about to walk away. Turning around, the guard could see the pain in Sirius's eyes.

"She's here," the guard whispered. "She tried to break you out."

Sirius's eyes widened. "No," he whispered. "They aren't going to…the dementors, please tell me they aren't sucking out her soul. Please, anything but that. Please."

The guard wanted to help. He'd never felt sympathy toward a prisoner before, but now he wanted so bad to be helpful. Instead he said the only lie he could think of. Not exactly a consoling one, but Sirius _had_ said _anything_ but that.

"No. They're going to kill her."

*********

It was time. Somewhere not far from here, Sirius was sitting in a cell as his wife had her soul sucked from her body. The dementors were ready and waiting for their victim to be brought out.

Alexa was screaming incomprehensibly. Shrill, high-pitched shrieks of agony. Only a few words made it through:

"Not my baby! Please spare my baby!"

The Dementors surround her, and the agonizing process began.

But nothing. Though Fudge didn't realize it, he'd made a mistake. He had never realized that there was magic he didn't understand. It was called love, as I'm sure you've guessed, as Albus Dumbledore told us all about it in his time.

Dementors feed on terror and misery. But even Alexa, who had certainly had her share of that, especially recently, couldn't not be a useful source to them. They could not suck out her soul, because her soul was so closely related to that of her baby's.

It had never before been attempted to suck out the soul of a pregnant woman. Therefore it could not have been known that you cannot suck out the soul of a baby. An innocent baby, with no knowledge of anything but its undying love for its mother, the person who holds it and protects it.

And so Alexa Black's soul could not be sucked out. And at that moment, her water broke.

*********

Whether from her loss or from having her soul nearly sucked out, no one knew. But what was known was that Alexandra was clearly insane. She was obviously unfit to raise a child.

So without her permission, or Sirius's, their child, not an orphan, as both her parents were still very much alive, May Lily Black was sent to an orphanage the day she was born.

Alexa, told her baby had died, was kept at St. Mungo's. She was not allowed to leave. She never had visitors, and she never saw her husband again.

But she never stopped loving him, and she never stopped believing her daughter was alive.


	30. The One With The Last Act

**This right here is the climax of the story, so be ready for it. Only one more chapter after this. SO SAD! I wish this story didn't have to end. I so enjoyed writing it! But I guess it's better this way. I'd like to have most of my incomplete stories finished by the time I have to go back to school, that way I can start off the new year with a bunch of new stories, instead of just plodding along with my old stories. Enjoy!  
Dis-Not to**

**Claim-Say I own something**

**-Funny word ending  
**

*********

Sirius wasn't sure exactly what was going on. All he knew was that Harry was in the Department of Mysteries, walking right into a trap set by Voldemort.

And he also knew there was a god chance he would die today.

It was alright, though. Sirius had been ready to die for a long time. He had been ready to join the love of his life and his daughter, whom he'd never even met.

"Sirius!" Remus cried. "Sirius, we have to talk."

"We have to go!" Sirius hissed. "Harry's in trouble!"

"Sirius, if either of us dies today, I'll never get a chance to say this. Alexa's alive! And so is your daughter."

Time stopped. What felt like a second could have been years, and vise-versa.

"W-what?"

"I only just found out. They didn't kill her when she broke into Azkaban. They sucked out her soul. Or at least, they tried to. But she was pregnant, as you know. And they just…couldn't, I guess. And then they sent the baby, Alexa named her May Lily Black, to an orphanage. Alexa's in St. Mungo's."

Sirius was hardly paying attention to anything, but at 'St. Mungo's', he sprung to life.

"Remus," he began, but his friend was way ahead of him.

"Go," he said decisively. "I've been lying to you too many years. Go, meet us at the Department of Mysteries, and hurry!"

And Sirius was off.

*********

Alexa heard a tapping on her window. There were no Healers in the room.

"I can't hear you!" Alexa informed the window. "Because you are not real. You are a sound I made up in my mind, and I'm having none of it!"

Very proud of herself, Alexa _Harrumphed! _loudly and folded her arms over her chest. Only the tapping didn't stop.

"Fine then!" she told the window. "If that's how you want it!"

And she waltzed over and opened it.

There was a black dog sitting under it, whimpering.

"Ah, the hallucinations again," she said fondly. "I do so enjoy the ones with him in them."

She stared at the black dog and watched as it transformed into Sirius Black, who leapt through the window, took her in his arms, and kissed her, all in what seemed to be one large motion.

"Oh!" she cried. "N-not a hallucination!"

He shook his head. "Not a hallucination."

"I-is it really y-you, Sirius?" she asked, happier than she'd ever felt before. "Is it really and truly?"

"Really and truly," he promised her. "And you look just as lovely as you did fourteen years ago."

She touched his cheek. "Sirius," she breathed.

"I have to go soon," he told her, ruining her moment of total bliss.

"No," she said instantly. "No, you can't." She held onto his hand tight. "Please," she added, her voice barely a whisper.

"Harry's in trouble," he told her.

"Harry," she repeated. "Little baby Harry…Our baby, I named her May. May Lily Black. They said….they told me she died. I don't believe them Sirius, I don't-"

"Shh," he placed his finger to her lips. "May's alive. They took her to an orphanage. She lives in Ireland."

"I'm coming with you," she said suddenly.

"No," Sirius argued. "It's too dangerous-"

"I'm coming," she repeated. "The last time you left me was fourteen years ago, and I thought I'd never see you again. I'm coming with you."

*********

There was chaos. Fighting, wands waving about, spells flying every which-way. People falling to the ground, few of them getting up. Alexa should have been terrified.

But she wasn't. she held Sirius's hand as they ran, dodging spells, to find Harry.

"Harry," Alexa breathed, seeing him. "He's all grown up."

"And just like his father," Sirius replied, by way of an agreement.

Harry saw them between running and throwing spells.

"Sirius!" he yelled.

"Harry!" Alexa sobbed. "You were just a little baby when I last saw you!"

"Sirius!" Remus yelled, but it was for a much different reason. "Behind-"

But Sirius already saw it coming. And as his last act as a living man, he tried to push Alexa out of the way.

But she was having none of it, and when they fell through the veil, they fell together.


	31. In Which We Say Goodbye

**AN: OMIGOD, this is the last chapter! That's so sad! This is sort of after the fact. A couple months after, really. Just thought it would be a good way to end. Please review and tell me what you thought of my story! It would mean an awful lot to me! Reviews are like hugs and they totally make my day!**

*********

"What were they like?" May asked, not looking at Harry or Luanne. "My parents, I mean."

"Sirius was great," Harry said. "I didn't get to know him very long, but he was the best. I wanted to live with him, but of course that was out of the question."

"I spent most of my life thinking my father was a mass murderer and my mother was insane," May said, and although Luanne and Harry both knew this, it was still strange hearing her say it. "My parents tried to shield it from me, but everyone knew who Sirius Black was. Or at least, they thought they did."

"Your mother was my best friend," Luanne told May. Luanne was a grown woman now, and she was married. They were sitting in the Weasley's living room.

"Do I look like her?" May asked eagerly.

"A lot, actually," Luanne informed her. "You have her curly, frizzy black hair and her bright, shiny eyes. And you're short like she was."

Luanne smiled and May made a strange noise resembling a laugh. Their little get-together was strange. Harry, Sirius's godchild who had never even known Alexa, May, or Luanne existed; May, Sirius and Alexa's daughter, separated from them at birth and raised with false assumptions about her parents, who she never met; and Luanne, who was close to Alexa and Sirius and knew them better than anyone but Remus Lupin.

They had met a few times in the last few months, and the discomfort of it all was only barely dying down, but it felt right to be there. To tell May about her parents, to make sure she knew they were good people, amazing even, was so important. And to remember his parents best friends and his own godparents was something Harry cared about deeply. And Luanne was such a sweet, soft-spoken person, she wanted nothing more than to help them.

And she did. They all helped each other really. Some wounds are not meant to be fully healed, but friends are like Band-Aids, and when you have them, the wounds seem to hurt a little less.

*********

**AN: Is it stupid that I cried because this story was over? I don't want it to be over! But I don't believe in writing sequels just for the heck of it. I would only write one if I really and truly had more to add to the story, which I do not. However, if anyone has any suggestions for possibly a one-shot type continuation of this story that they would like to hear, feel free to let me know, and I'll let you know if I write one. Reviews are loved and so are all my fans. Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!**


	32. Message To My Readers

**A MESSAGE TO MY READERS**

VERY IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ

Honey, I'm home! Yes, I'm at it again. For a while I had decided that I was going to focus on more productive writing, but you know what? Fanfiction is fun, and I miss it! So here I am, writing again.

I am, however, writing under a new pen name. My new account is Princess Corkey, and below you will find a list of stories that will be on that as well as a link.

* * *

New Profile: .net/u/3790840/Princess_Corkey

**Lost In Another Time**: This story was so much fun to write, and I reread it often for inspiration, but I recently realized how much I've grown as a writer since then, and it makes me wish I could rewrite it, and I realized, why don't I? So here it is, the remastering of Lost, now called **Her Name Was Alexandra**. Three chapters are already up. Not much different yet, but I am hoping to add to it. I want to explore the Lily/James relationship in it a little further, as well as add a few more supporting characters and straighten out the timeline. Suggestions? Love 'em! Link: .net/s/8151596/1/Her_Name_Was_Alexandra

**My Other Half: **MOH will be remastered much the same as Lost, under the name **The Other Half**. I would like Allyson to have a few personality changes, making her less unpredictable so to convey that she is more vulnerably than I initially showed. Also, I would like this story to be a little longer and completely change the last chapter for I look back and feel it is a terrible ending.

**Kiss Me In The Rain, Fallen Angel, Look Into The Future, Delusions of Grandeur, **: Existing chapters will remain mostly the same, possible minor tweaking, but the story will be reposted and continued on the new account.

**Tension, Uncomfortable, A Forgotten Story**: Will be tweaked slightly for typos, but otherwise will remain the same and simply reposted on the new account.

**Never Alone, Meet The Family, All's Fair in Love and Friendship, Katie Bell: Socially Inept: **Existing chapters will be rewritten and then story will be continued on the new account. **(All's fair will be shortened to simply that. I don't like longer titles for most stories.)**

**My Star Chaser (To become simply Star Chaser), Not My Night, and Cinderella Masquerade, Lily Potter: Daughter, Sister, and Disappointment (To become Lily Potter: Disappointment)**: Possibly rewritten, but lower on the priority list. Saving for a rainy day or once all above projects are completed.


End file.
